Out of all the qualifying recipes, five finalists were chosen in a sweepstakes drawing. The CHOW Test Kitchen then tested the finalist recipes and judged each recipe using the following criteria: taste, originality, ease of preparation, nutritional value, and kid-friendliness. CHOW Food Editor Amy Wisniewski then Skyped with Gail Simmons while Simmons made the winning recipe with children from the Common Threads charity.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a recipe. By participating in the contest you helped raise $15,000 for Common Threads! To see the five finalist recipes and notes from our Test Kitchen, check out this gallery.

WinnerChosen from the five finalist recipes

TURKEY NACHOSBy Cptjaci
Kids love nachos, and so do we. This easy recipe is versatile—serve it as snack or to fill tacos or burritos. Top it with sour cream, chopped cilantro, avocado, or salsa. It's packed with Mexican flavor, but without the spicy heat. This recipe is a no-brainer for both adults and kids—we couldn’t pull ourselves away from it in the CHOW Test Kitchen!